5 comments about Gershon's Monster: A Story For The Jewish New Year (Gershon's Monster).

1. Eric Kimmel takes great pains with all his stories, and this was no exception. As explained in his afterward, he derived this superb tale of T'Shuva (repentance, or to be more precise, returning to a righteous path) from an early Hasidic legend of the Rabbi Israel ben Eliezer, who lived in Poland from 1700 to 1760 and was known as the Ba'al Shem Tov, or Master of the Good Name. Kimmel's ancestors came from that region, and he believes they knew him. Given his gift with story telling--an art for which the Ba'al Shem Tov was also famous--I can believe it. Not content, however, Kimmel also consulted work of the great 12th century Sephardic Rabbi, Moses Maimonides, known as the Ramban.

   Hershel sins every day many times, but he counts himself lucky each week to be able to sweep his ill deeds aside. At the end of the year, on Rosh Hashonah, he gathers them in a giant bag, takes them to the sea and tosses them in. Kimmel derives this colorful part of Gershon's annual routine from the Jewish tradition of Tashlikh, when people walk to lakes, rivers or any moving water to toss away their crumbs. This prayerful "casting off of sins," concerns repentance and forgiveness.

   But Hershel does not take the exercise seriously. He drags his satchel of sins to the sea, and then returns to his old ways--insulting people, forgetting to say Thank You, telling little untruths here and there. He even forgets to thank the Tzaddik, the holy man, whose prayers make it possible for his childless wife Fayge to bear twins. The Tzaddik warns him, though, that his bad habits will cause problems in a few short years.

   Sure enough, they do. Hershel's wife has beautiful twins, but all nearly comes to ruin. To discover how Hershel finds the path to T'Shuva and saves his family, indulge in this book brilliantly illustrated by Jon Muth. You and your children will treasure it. Alyssa A. Lappen




2. This Jewish fable, retold by Eric A. Kimmel, isn't just for Jewish people. Anybody can relate to Gershon's behavior and its consequences.

   The watercolor illustrations by Jon J Muth take the story to an even higher level. I especially love his impish black monsters. Kimmel and Muth are a wonderful pairing; I hope they do more books together!




3. I am disturbed by the number of 5-stars this book has gotten. I would be willing to use this book with older children (6th grade and up!) but not at all with younger ones. The images are dark and disturbing, and the manner in which Gershon "scrubs" himself clean is a bit difficult as well -- repentance shouldn't be because we are forced to do so by terrible black monsters but because we see that it is an important part of working on improving ourselves regularly...I like some of Eric Kimmel's other work much better, and I recommend his book "Days of Awe" which has a couple of lovely stories in it. For this one, though, I've pulled it out of our library and hidden it on my shelves for when the children are older! (And I wouldn't want someone to think it were for young children and traumatize them with the scary black creatures that represent Gershon's sins!)



4. I absolutely loved this book! It is very moving and heartwrenching. I must warn, however, that I really do think they misjudged the age group recommendation for this book (4 to 8 years old). The illustrations are incredible but disturbing.
   
   I hesitantly chose to read it to a kindergarten class last year during High Holy Days and regretted doing so. Don't get me wrong...the children were glued to the story but I could see them getting scared (and not in a "fun" way). I have no doubt that those images bothered them at bedtime for a while! A full year later, forgetting the details of it's illustrations, I revisited it as I searched my bookshelves for stories to read to my pre-k class at our synagogue. Nope! As wonderful as this story is, I truly think it is inappropriate for the little ones.
   
   I still give it 5 stars. Just check it out yourself before showing it to your children. You know what they can handle, but I think it is geared more toward 7 - 10 year olds. It's meant to be a dark story about renewal and redemption and the art, as it should, effectively portrays this.



5. This book is very well written and illuminates the annual ritual of casting our sins into the water known as Tashlik [transliteration varies]. My kids are Kimmel fan. Every Synagogue library should stock their childrens section with this amusing and articulate author. There are lessons to be learned and he takes the stories of Sholem Aleichem, among other storytellers and creates a humor worthy of contemplation and praise.

No comments about Scarecrow Finds a Friend.

5 comments about Happy New Year! / Kung-Hsi Fa-Ts'ai!.

1. Need an excuse to explore ethnic and religious holidays and practices? This is your vehicle. The interesting and exciting practices surrounding Chinese New Year can so easily be compared in writing, drama and story-telling of many other cultures. You cannot go wrong with this book.



2. This is a simply written and beautifully illustrated book about the Chinese New Year. Through delicate line drawings and jewel like colors the author/illustrator captures the essence of Chinese mythical creatures, flora, fauna, heavenly creatures and mortals. We learn about Chinese zodiac symbols, gods, how Chinese people prepare for the New Year, why they eat special kinds of foods on New Year's Day, the symbolism of specific flowers as gifts, and the meanings of Chinese characters hung on doorways. Demi is the talented author and illustrator of many children's books with Chinese themes. This book is definitely one of my favorites.



3. This is a nice introduction to chinese new year. I will use it as a informational guide and have my Chinese-Vietnamese students look it over to facilitate a discussion about their new year. Thanks.



4. I haven't found a book by Demi that isn't terrific. This is a great book for young children, it gives lots of great information on the Chinese New Year and what one does to get ready for the New Year celebration! A must have for anyone with an who wants their child to know about their hertitage!



5. This is a cute, easy to read book that discusses the basic elements of Chinese New Year.

5 comments about A Wild, Rank Place: One Year on Cape Cod.

1. David Gessner isn't your typical nature writer. Not simply content to give lip service to "birds and trees," Gessner enters the landscape as an animal, swilling and raging and chortling his way across Cape Cod with glee and guts. He isn't afraid to tackle tough material either: he receives news of his father's malignant carcinoma after, ironically, beating his own cancer successfully. In the face of such significant life issues, Gessner worries about place---his own as son and native to Cape Cod, and the strength of his writing voice in the shadow of his real and literary fathers. This book does for fathers and sons what Terry Tempest William's Refuge did for mothers and daughters. I found Gessner to be charmingly self-absorbed: he allows the reader to view him ("the thing itself") and his landscape, warts and all. And just when some might dismiss him as another Abbey-wanabee who goes about the motions of outrage for outrage's sake, Gessner shows his talent and unique writing strength: he writes movingly and memorably about his own father's death in a stunning journal section simply titled, June. The last sections of the book are a Hymn---for Gessner's father, for the place of his birth, for life. In the end, Gessner shows how grace and real beauty rise from fiercely loving ALL the parts of the world, even the ones which pain us most.



2. An inspiring narrative about a young man who survives cancer, only to watch his father be taken by the same disease. In the tradition of Beston and Thoreau, Gessner brings the Cape to life in all its seasons. But this book should not be tied to one place: readers from all over the globe will identify with Gessner, his family, and his love of home. A Wild, Rank Place is a very special book. You'll be glad you read it.



3. Mr. Gessner has created a powerful memoir of his childhood on Cape Cod, the loss of his father and his love for the harsh Cape environment that is emblematic of personal struggles Gessner has faced and, with humor and intelligence, ultimately overcome. A thoughtful and thought-provoking work from a promising young author.



4. I found this book a disappointment because the author allowed his personal issues and problems (e.g. family problems, illness, drug use) to interfere with the picture he was trying to paint. Henry Beston's THE OUTERMOST HOUSE, A YEAR OF LIFE ON THE GREAT BEACH OF CAPE COD, is much more to my liking, because of the beautiful prose and the full concentration of Mr. Beston on the topic at hand (i.e. the Cape, its history, its beauty, its wildness). I find it incongruous for this author, David Gessner, to make the effort to get in touch with nature by living out in the wilds by the ocean, and then to take the unnatural step of using drugs while doing so. It offends my senses almost as much as do the actions of people who play boomboxes at the beach while supposedly enjoying nature. I guess I like my nature natural and without the distractions of these other modern day intrusions. And I like my information and insights gleaned from my readings to be based on reality not drug induced fantasy. These personal issues (which in another context, might have been appropriately raised and interesting) seemed only to be undesired distractions in this context.



5. I had the pleasure of meeting Gessner at a bookstore he made an appearance at. I bought two of his books, "Wild Rank.." and "Return of the Osprey." I was almost unable to put down "Wild Rank." It was so moving...so touching...so brilliantly honest, I kept the pages open as I did mundane things so I could peek over occassionally and be mesmerized by his essay. The book is a mix of so many things -- there's a little "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance" in his brutal honesty. Then there's a little Thoreau when he briefs us on what the marshes and the "Suet" mean to him. This book is a must read for anyone who understands or wants to understand that life on life's terms is the only way we can exist -- and one of life's terms is that we take care of the land. Another of those terms is that our parents, for whatever faults they have, shape us in ways we can neither forget nor sometimes identify. David, I'm so glad I met you -- the book has been one of those wonderful surprises in life that change you a little bit when you encounter them. Kudos!

1 comments about The New Handbook of the Christian Year.

1. This handbook is a good guide for Protestant ministers who have either not been introduced to, or have not understood, the Church calendar year. If you are looking for something different in worship, worship with a point, then this book will help you. It deals with all of the Church seasons in a way that is easily understandable. For some of us, we have not discovered the riches that can be found in following the Church year during worship.

5 comments about Christmas 101: Celebrate the Holiday Season from Christmas to New Year's.

1. I own two of Rick Rodgers 101 books and have been pleased. I was disappointed in this one however because I am not a cook who uses alcohol in cooking or beverages and that eliminated many of Rick's holiday offerings. It would have been nice to have some non-alcoholic substitutions suggested. I felt that, for me, this book was not worth the price.



2. Having Rodgers' Thanksgiving 101 book I decided to try his Christmas 101 book, too. This is not, nor is it meant to be the all-encompassing cookbook for Christmas. It is a rather slight book at under 200 pages.
   
   More important than the actual recipes is Rodgers' advice and tips on planning your feast, party, decorating tips for the table, music, along with great ideas for new tradtions and ways to spice up old traditions.
   
   Whether it's your first holiday party or you're an old pro looking for new entertaining ideas, Christmas 101 Offers luscious fare with Rick's easy style, including Focaccia with Smoked Salmon and Marscapone, Seafood Chowder with Fresh Herbs, and Peppermint Profiteroles. Classic holiday recipes for prime rib, goose, gingerbread cookies, wassail, and Hoppin' John are covered as well.
   
   Fun to read!



3. Recieved this book just the other day. So many recipes I will never use espically for Christmas like Black-eyed pea stew, or Parsnip and leek soup. No pictures haven't found a recipe yet I would actually make for Christmas maybe the cookies? I don't think this book is simple to make it stress free. Not what I expected.I have a ton of better Christmas cookbooks thought I would give this one a try and sorry I did. I could not recommend this book.



4. I am disappointed in this book because it is *not* a general book about Christmas preparation, but a recipe book only. With a name like Christmas 101, and what I read in the book description, I was expecting not only recipes but perhaps an overall Christmas timetable, tips on selecting a tree as well as thoughts on natural vs artificial, information on different cultures' traditions other than strictly food based. This is a nice enough recipe book, but is is now what I expected, or wanted.



5. This book was purchased for my daughter who is setting up her first household. She was thrilled with it. It is has information on decorating, ideas for entertaining and lots of recipes.

No comments about Fantasies: New Year's Eve.

No comments about Chinese New Year (Rookie Read-About Holidays).

2 comments about Lanterns and Firecrackers: A Chinese New Year Story (Festival Time).

1. I really like this series. Students can read these books on their own and get a lot out of them. They can also be easily read for a read aloud. They are fun and interesting!



2. This is a nonfiction book aimed at the preK-K level, and it contains just the right amount of information for kids aged 3-5. The illustrations are lovely and there is simple text on each page. I paired this book along with Dragon Dance (author: Holub) and D is for Dragon Dance (author: Compestine), which have more lyrical text, for a preschoolers' storytime about Chinese New Year.

No comments about New Book of Festivals and Commemorations: A Proposed Common Calendar of Saints.